


the kim brothers: apartment 4012

by toyhouses



Series: kim brothers sol [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Gen, Kim Brothers (EXO)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-05 04:49:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14609700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toyhouses/pseuds/toyhouses
Summary: eldest brother: kim minseoksecond brother: kim junmyeonthird brother: kim jongdaeyoungest brother: kim jongina day in the life of the kim brothers :)just a collection of stories about the kim brothers as a "normal" family.lapslock.





	1. 6:09 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Minseok.

he's already hit snooze once and when the alarm goes off again, his body reacts first.  minseok's eyes aren't even open yet, but his hands are removing the blanket from his body and his legs are swinging over the side of the bed, ready to stand.  he wobbles over to the attached bathroom in his bedroom to brush his teeth because he'll be damned if he's going to do anything before getting rid of morning breath.

after some water splashed on his face, he makes his way over to the next bedroom.  he raises a hand to knock, but there's already some rustling going on inside that minseok can hear.  bypassing junmyeon's room, he makes his way over to jongdae's.  minseok knocks and hears a pretty loud bang! and some cursing, but minseok's too sleepy to laugh.

instead, minseok yells "language!" through jongdae's door and doesn't even wait for the "ah, hyung!" before moving on to the next door.

if this were a video game, minseok would be at the boss level, the hardest level.  because this is jongin's room and jongin needs special skill to wake.  minseok doesn't even bother knocking.  opening the door, minseok's welcomed by a blast of warm, musty air.  it makes minseok stop in his tracks, right at the doorway.  before minseok can enter further, junmyeon emerges from his room half dressed in a suit jacket, pressed shirt, and tie.  on the bottom, junmyeon's still in his boxers.

"hyung, have you seen my-"

"in the coat closet, i picked them up yesterday."

"thank you!" junmyeon calls, shuffling out into the living area.

minseok turns back to his last brother's bed.  jongin is a big lump of comforter and sheets on top of his bed.  somehow, jongin has made himself a coccoon of cotton and underneath he's naked except for his boxers.  minseok looks to the right corner of the room and sees a bursting laundry bag, but that's not the problem right this second.

"kim jongin" minseok calls out.  "you're going to be late for school!"

"nughhhh"

"you've got ten minutes."

"liar."

"i'm going to count to three and then it's sheets off."

"buh"

"one."

"five more minutes."

"two."

"hyuuungggg"

"three."

minseok tugs on the corner of the sheet and jongin goes rolling.  there's a dull thud as jongin lands on the floor.  jongdae's cackle passes them by the doorway as jongdae makes his way into the kitchen for breakfast.  

"hyung!" jongin protests.  "i could have died!"

"stop being so dramatic and wash up" minseok scolds.

still, minseok helps jongin up from the ground.  dragging him by the elbow, minseok escorts jongin into the bathroom in the hallway.  shoving jongin in, minseok closes the door.

"you've got ten minutes!" minseok adds.

when minseok steps into the kitchen, junmyeon's wearing a canvas apron that has a drawing of a girl in a bikini on it, over his suit.  without looking up, junmyeon asks, "spam or kimchi?"

"spam" jongdae says, sitting at the kitchen table and organizing his backpack contents.

"i'll take kimchi" minseok replies, maneuvering around junmyeon to reach for the utensils.

the frying pan sizzles as both spam and kimchi are added with scrambled eggs.  after laying out four sets of utensils, minseok opens the rice cooker where there's left over rice from yesterday night.  he scoops out four bowls and passes one by one to junmyeon who tops each bowl with the contents of the frying pan.  the kimchi and egg bowl is done first.  minseok passes it to jongdae who places it on minseok's placemat.  

jongin steps out of the bathroom, steam from his shower following him out into the hallway.

"spam or kimchi, jongin?" junmyeon shouts to a still half asleep jongin.

"mmfm" jongin responds.

"what?!" 

"he means both" minseok translates.

jongdae's spam and egg bowl is done next and minseok passes it to jongdae, who complains that there's red chilli flakes on his spam from the kimchi.

"just eat it, you brat!" junmyeon shouts, one hand on his hip.

minseok snorts into his cup of water.

jongin comes out after junmyeon has taken his apron off.  junmyeon's half way done eating his spam and egg bowl when jongin finally sits down at the table.

"it's all cold now!" junmyeon scolds jongin, who grunts with a shrug.

"i'm off.  i'm eating dinner with friends tonight, so don't wait up!" jongdae announces, swinging on his backpack and rushing toward the door.

minseok's not finished with his bowl, but he jumps up too, watching jongdae put his sneakers on.

"don't drink too much" minseok tells jongdae.

"ah, hyung!" jongdae whines.  "it's a friday!  everyone stays out late drinking on fridays!"

"still, don't drink too much" minseok advises.

jongdae pouts.

"whatever" he says before running out the door.  "don't wait up!"

all four of the brothers know that minseok will definitely wait up.

minseok makes his way back to the kitchen table where junmyeon is getting ready to leave as well.  he opens the refrigerator door and curses under his breath.

"damnit jongdae forgot his lunch."

junmyeon grabs his own packed lunch and jongdae's.  he hastily shoves his feet into his dress shoes and waves at minseok.

"bye hyung. i'll call if i'm late!"

"be careful!" minseok calls out, but junmyeon's already running down the apartment stairwell to catch up to jongdae's elevator.

the door closes behind junmyeon and finally, minseok sits back down at the table.

jongin's slouched over his kimchi spam and egg bowl, which is almost twice as big as everyone else's.  minseok's done with his bowl in three more spoonfuls.  he gets up and collects all the bowls and utensils that junmyeon and jongdae have left behind.  he deposits them into the sink and starts to do the dishes.  while he's doing the dishes, he glances at the clock hanging near the fridge.

"you should get going too" minseok tells jongin.

"mmhm" jongin replies.

jongin gobbles up the last of his rice bowl and takes his bowl and utensils over to minseok at the sink.  leaning in close, nearly towering over his oldest hyung, jongin bends down to kiss minseok on the cheek.

"i'm off, hyung" jongin says.

minseok turns the water off and wipes the moisture on his pajama pants.  he walks with jongin to the door, carding his fingers through jongin's bed hair.

"don't fall asleep during class."

"i'll try" jongin says, smirking.

the door closes behind the last of his brothers and minseok lets out a little satisfied sigh.  after he finishes up with the dishes, most of his morning work is done.


	2. 11:51 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Junmyeon.

Breakfast had been at around 6:30 in the morning, so naturally, Junmyeon is hungry by the time eleven o’clock rolls around. His fingers itch to reach for the lunch sack he has inside one of his file drawers, but the fact of the matter is that the excel sheet is still open in front of him. His superiors pat his shoulder as they file out for lunch.

“Working hard, Intern Kim” Mr. Kwak says.

“It’s tough to be an intern isn’t it?” comments Mr. Lee.

“Forget it! These are the good ole days. Don’t waste them” advises Mr. Won.

Junmyeon just smiles as brightly as he can with clenched teeth, only relaxing his face when the elevator door closes on their grinning faces.

“Ha...” Junmyeon sighs.

Finally, he’s left alone with the whirring of the computer. He checks his phone. It’s now six minutes past twelve. Six minutes past his lunch hour.

Even if he was just a graduate student intern, wasn’t he due his lunch hour? Just then, a call comes in. It’s Minseok.

“Hello?”

“Junmyeon?” Comes Minseok’s voice over the phone.

“Who else would it be?” Junmyeon deadpans. “Did you mean to call someone else?”

“Very funny” comments Minseok, not amused. “Are you on your lunch break?”

Junmyeon balances his phone on his shoulder with his cheek.

“Uhh....” he stalls while trying to type as quietly as possible.

“You’re working through lunch, aren’t you?” 

Minseok catches on to him and Junmyeon silently curses the high def quality of Samsung’s cell phone mics.

“I’m almost done” Junmyeon half-fibs. “I’m just about to leave the office.”

Junmyeon can hear Minseok sighing over the line, but he knows Minseok’s just worried.

“Well I called because I forgot to tell you. There’s little bones in the meat so be careful when you chew. You know, the stir fry? Jongdae already left me three messages about how he almost chipped a tooth.”

Junmyeon chuckles as he imagines Jongdae jumping up and down about being sabotaged by his own lunch.

“What did Jongin say?”

“That he didn’t notice any bones. I think he just chewed right through them.”

Junmyeon laughs aloud this time and reaches for his lunch sack. He takes out the three tiered lunch box. The first level is rice with steamed carrots on the side. It’s when he reaches the second level that he sees the pork stir fry in question. It looks delicious and he can’t see any bones.

“Are you sure there’s bones?” Junmyeon asks, getting up from his chair with the stir fry in the other hand.

“Yes, there’s some cartilage, but the bones are small. That’s why I’m telling you to be careful.”

He pops the stir fry in the microwave and presses the button for thirty seconds.

“Alright.”

“Okay, have a good lunch then.”

“What’s for dinner?” Junmyeon quickly asks. He doesn’t want to hang up just yet.

“Mmm... I’m thinking pork fried rice with the left over pork.”

“Sounds good. So, Jongdae’s not coming in time for dinner, right?”

Minseok sighs over the line.

“Yeah. Says he’s going out drinking.”

“You know I was on vomit duty last time right?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh shoot, Jongin’s calling me. Let me know when you end OK? Bye Junmyeon.”

The line goes dead and the microwave beeps, announcing that it’s done nuking the stir fry. The scent of heated pork wafts into Junmyeon’s nose and he smiles. It smells of home.

He walks back to his cubicle with a lighter step than before. He’s going to be eating lunch alone, while wrestling with his Excel sheet, but there’s a smile on his face. A conversation with his hyung usually brightened his mood even when he was having a bad intern day.

He’s careful when he chews, but the meal - complete with a side of soup and salad - satisfies his stomach. He ends up finishing the Excel sheet with fifteen minutes to spare on his lunch break. Making his way over to the vending machine, Junmyeon’s feeling accomplished so he treats himself to a new brand of canned coffee that he’s not tried before.

Walking back to his desk, he sips the coffee with a grin. The coffee tastes pretty good and he mentally takes note of the brand. He’ll have to buy some on his way home and let Minseok taste it.


	3. 4:39 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in Jongdae’s life: part 1
> 
> Feat. Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Kyungsoo

Jongdae’s last class ends at 3:30 PM but by the time Baekhyun finishes chit-chatting with nearly everyone in the class, it’s way past 4 in the afternoon.

“Yah” shouts Chanyeol, after they’ve been kicked out of the building for being too noisy. “Isn’t four o’clock too early to start drinking?”

Baekhyun shoots him A Look and so do the two others.

“Is it ever too early to start drinking, gang?” Baekhyun shouts.

“No way!!!” they all shouts back.

Chanyeol shakes his head, laughing. “What was I thinking?!”

Chanyeol makes a bit display of theatrically smacking his own mouth with his hands. Jongdae helps with the hitting, using Kyungsoo’s hand. Kyungsoo’s more than willing to comply, doing his creepy, low voice laugh that has Chanyeol complaining about goosebumps.

They reach Hongik street where the pub they frequent is located, but before they reach the actual pub, something catches their attention. The arcade three stores over from the pub has a big sign out front.

“Beat the high score and get a free Bluetooth speaker!” It says.

Baekhyun jabs Chanyeol in the ribs with his elbow. “Hey, didn’t you say you were good at that game? Win me a speaker, will ya?”

Baekhyun’s finger is pointing at the punching machine. Chanyeol sizes up the arcade machine as he cracks his knuckles in succession.

“Ah, does this old hyung have to bring forth his boxing skills for you little kids? Ah... this is dangerous you know...”

Chanyeol’s hyperbole is hilarious and Jongdae lets him know it. He throws his head back in laughter before he says, “Yah, Park Chanyeol, when did _you_ ever learn boxing? If it’s boxing, you know my hyung, he-“

“Yeah yeah yeah” Chanyeol cuts him off. “Your Hyung is the best at everything, isn’t he? Well, how come you're always bragging about him, but never let us see him?”

“Yeah, how come?” Baekhyun adds, sticking out his tongue.  "Do you even _have_ a real hyung?"

They nod at each other in agreement and Jongdae flushes from his neck up. It was true that he didn’t really like bringing friends over to his house. Neither did he like introducing his Minseok hyung to his friends. It wasn’t out of embarrassment. Not really. But the thought of Chanyeol or Baekhyun gawking at any of his hyungs brings a sour taste to his mouth.

“You don’t want to meet Minseok Hyung” Kyungsoo says quietly. “If he saw either of you two messing around, he’d beat you guys up for sure.”

There’s a pause, but then Jongdae snickers. Out of his close friends, Kyungsoo had been the one to know Jongdae the longest. This meant Kyungsoo had seen Jongdae’s whole family. Also, everything Kyungsoo said was probably true.

“Yah, i...is Jongdae’s hyung that scary?” Chanyeol asks, instinctively hunching his back in fear.

“Oh whatever” Baekhyun brushes Kyungsoo’s comment off and pushes Chanyeol toward the arcade. “If Chanyeol beats the high score, Jongdae has to invite us to his house!”

“Yay!” Chanyeol screams, rotating his arm as a warm-up.

This riles Chanyeol up, while Jongdae protests, “Hey! I never agreed to that! Ah, Byun Baekhyun!”

But before Jongdae knows it, the coins are inserted into the machine and the game beeps to life.

“Give the man some space!” Baekhyun shouts, shoving them out of the way.

Even passers-by stop to watch at the huge, unnecessary display Baekhyun is making. Jongdae, even though he maintains that he never ever agreed to any of this, watches biting his thumbnail. Kyungsoo chuckles, shaking his head, as he stands beside Jongdae.

“Calm down” Kyungsoo reassures Jongdae. “There’s no way that overgrown puppy can beat the high score. It’s at 982 right now.”

 

POW!!!

 

Chanyeol makes his punch.

There’s a collective silence as everyone watching holds their breaths. The red LED numbers scramble as it announces Chanyeol’s score.

The last digit is... 5.

“Ohhhh!” shouts the spectators.

The second digit is .... 9.

“Waaaa!” Baekhyun yells.

Jongdae grabs Kyungsoo’s arm, jumping up and down. “Noooo!”

And the final, first digit turns out to be....

 

 

7.

 

 

795 is Chanyeol’s score. And while Jongdae is now jumping with joy, Baekhyun smacks his lips in disappointment.

“Man, I thought you were better than this.  Where's my speaker!” Baekhyun deplores.

Chanyeol hangs his head in defeat and the passers-by leave, laughing and shaking their heads.  Cackling, Jongdae starts to walk toward the direction of the pub with Kyungsoo when Baekhyun whispers something into Chanyeol's ear.  Chanyeol’s head snaps back up.

“Best out of three" he says solemnly, jingling more coins in his fist.


	4. 9:21 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Jongdae: part 2
> 
> Feat. Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Kyungsoo

Jongdae can’t count how many beers he’s had so far. He regrets agreeing with Baekhyun, when he’d suggested that they forgo dinner for _ahnjoo_ with their drinks instead. While his friends liked to _go_ drinking, they were all pretty much lightweights.

Only Kyungsoo is still relatively normal.

“Yah, is your hyung made of gold or somethinggg?” Baekhyun asks, drawing out the ends of his sentences. “Why won’t you let us meet himmm?”

“We promise we’ll keep quiet about you being lame at school” adds Chanyeol with a hiccup.

Chanyeol grins sloppily and takes another sip of his beer.

“Or maybe you’re scared that your hyung will expose how lame you are at home?” Chanyeol deduces. “Don’t worry Jongdae-yah” Chanyeol says, draping a heavy arm on Jongdae’s shoulders. “We already know you’re lame.”

Jongdae shrugs Chanyeol’s arm off in irritation as Baekhyun laughs into his beer mug.  Thoughtfully, Kyungsoo chews on a piece of dried squid as he says, "Why don't we all go over this weekend?"

All Jongdae can do is gawk while both Baekhyun and Chanyeol cheer loudly.

"That's Kyungsoo for you!  Our smart little Kyungsoo!" Chanyeol shouts, moving his cup to quickly as he locks an affectionate arm around Kyungsoo's neck.

Beer sloshes onto Baekhyun's arm, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"To Kyungsoo!" Baekhyun shouts, raising his glass.

"To Kyungsoo!" Chanyeol reciprocates.

Kyungsoo's lips break out into a mischievous smile and Jongdae thinks that maybe Kyungsoo _is_ a little bit drunk because there's no permission asked of Jongdae at all.

"What time should we drop by?" Baekhyun asks in mock innocence.

"How about 1 o'clock?" suggests Chanyeol.  "So we have time to wake up and buy gifts?"

"1 o'clock it is" agrees Kyungsoo.

They bump glasses again, except for Jongdae, who is still shell-shocked.  And the conversation naturally flows to what they should bring when they visit Jongdae's house.  Jongdae snaps out it, laughing nervously along because they can't be serious, right?!  But when Kyungsoo, with a serious expression on his face, starts explaining the reason why toilet paper is a more practical house visiting present than laundry detergent, Jongdae puts on a crying face.  What was he going to tell his hyungs?!

 

 

&&&

 

 

When Baekhyun's head hits the table and when Chanyeol starts to cry over his childhood pets in succession, Jongdae knows it's time to go home.  They stumble out of the pub and huddle in an isolated alleyway as they wait for Kyungsoo, who is still the least drunk, to come back from the convenience store with anti-hangover drinks.  Chanyeol's sniffling into Jongdae's shoulder while Jongdae tries his best not to let Baekhyun fall over.

Even though it's past midnight, Jongdae's pretty proud of himself for keeping his promise to Minseok.  He didn't drink that much tonight, at least not that much in comparison to his other friends.  Not one drop of soju had entered his mouth.

After they force feed Baekhyun the anti-hangover drink, it's pretty easy to send Chanyeol and Baekhyun home.  They live in the same direction, pretty close to one another, so they write their addresses on a piece of paper and send them packing in one taxi cab.  Kyungsoo doesn't live too far from the college, so he walks home after waving good bye to Jongdae.

The night air is a little chilly and Jongdae bunches up his shoulders as he heads for the subway station.  His home is only two stops away, so he's thankful when he gets down to the platform just in time for one of the trains.  On the way, there's a beep from his phone and he looks down to see a message from Junmyeon.

[I'm going to sleep now, but Minseok hyung  
is still on the couch.  Just a warning.]

Jongdae snorts affectionately as he quickly types a reply back.

[Not surprised at all.  Was expecting it.  
Good night hyung.]

He tucks his phone back into his pant pocket and shoulders his backpack.  The first stop comes and goes and Jongdae taps his foot in expectation for the second stop, which is where he gets off.  The doors open and he steps of the subway with a whistle.  There's a song that's been stuck his head called "Not you, but your sister".  It's a song about a boy that falls in love with the sister of the girl who he originally liked and it has a funny music video that goes along with the ridiculous lyrics.  He's humming the tune as he punches in the password on the keypad to the front door.  The light sensor activates and the bulb turns on.  Taking off his shoes, he instinctively breathes out and tries to smell if his breath smells like alcohol.

"You're back" comes Minseok hyung's sleepy voice.

It brings a smile to Jongdae's face at the familiarity and maybe it's because he's just a little drunk, but he feels an overwhelming affection for his hyung.

"Hyung~!" he cries as he plops into Minseok's lap on the couch.

"Oof" Minseok says with a laugh.  "You're not eight anymore Kim Jongdae."

Sighing and nuzzling Minseok's neck, Jongdae closes his eyes.  He's sleepy now and thoughts of their younger days makes him feel a little more vulnerable.  He seeks comfort in the way Minseok pats his back and strokes his hair.

"Next time" Minseok is saying, "try to make it in before midnight."

"Ah, hyung~" Jongdae whines.  "It's... yawn... not my fault... my friends, they..."

And it's then that Jongdae remembers about his friends visiting this weekend.  His eyelids fly open and he's about to tell Minseok when Jongdae senses an ominous presence behind him.

"Hyung" comes Jongin's low voice.

'Oh no' Jongdae thinks because Jongin's voice sounds pouty and sleepy.  And when he's like this, Jongin has a tendency to-

A heavy, strong hand shoves Jongdae off of Minseok's lap.  Jongdae rolls unceremoniously to one side of the couch, then up and over onto the ground.

"Ouch."

There's a creak and another "Oof" out of Minseok.  When Jongdae looks over, Jongin's half sitting on the couch and half sitting on Minseok, leg draped over Minseok's lap.

" _I'm_ the youngest" Jongin says petulantly.  "Don't forget."

Jongdae gets up, scratching his head.  "Yeah, yeah, yeah.  This middle child will go to sleep now."

He makes his voice sulky on purpose, walking super slow to his own room and closing it with a resounding click.  After sending Jongin off to bed, Minseok will come quietly to Jongdae's room.  Jongdae knows this.  Minseok will stroke his hair and whisper, "You're not sulking, right?" even when he knows Jongdae really is being childish.  Jongdae knows this because it's a familiar course of action and secretly, he smiles as he climbs into his bed.  Some people say that familiarity is boring, but to Jongdae, it will always be a comfort.


	5. 1:14 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a (off) day in the life of jongin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lapslock again.

jongin wakes up to the smell of spicy seasoned pork being cooked in the kitchen, but soon he grimaces because there are other noises coming from the living room. his eyelids are heavy and he can barely get them open, but there are strange voices being loud and laughing and...

 

"minseok hyung-nim! we really wanted to see you!" comes a voice.

 

jongin's eyelids fly open, faster than they ever have before. he scrambles up from his bed, tosses on a pair of sweats and a stretched out tank top from a drawer, and runs out into the living room.

the smell of pork is stronger now that jongin's out in the hallway and the strange voices are louder and...

 

"minseok hyung-nim, jongdae failed to mention how utterly handsome you are!" comes another voice - one different than the voice before.

 

the line between jongin's brows becomes deeper as he hears minseok actually _giggling_ at the stranger's compliment.  jongin makes an effort to stomp as loud as he can as he marches over to the living room.  there, on the floor is the large folding table - the one they only use for special guests.  there's already lettuce, wrap sauce, and peppers out on the nice guest plates, on the table.  there are actual napkins set out instead of their usual toilet paper rolls.  and there are also three faces looking up at him, who are definitely _not_ family.

his head clears enough to recognize kyungsoo, who gives a little wave to jongin from the far end of the couch.  jongdae hyung is fiddling with the television, trying to find a good channel to leave on during the meal.  and then there are the two foreign faces, who are crowded at the countertop adjoining the living room and the kitchen.  jongin supposes that these two had been looking at and talking to minseok hyung from there.

without a word, jongin makes his way into the kitchen.  minseok is at the stove, cooking the pork whilst humming some kind of weird song.  and jongin can't believe that minseok hasn't noticed that jongin had woken up, much less acknowledged him.  so jongin, eyes still glaring at the two strangers looking curiously at him, wraps his arms around minseok's waist from the back.  jongin tucks his chin into the crook of minseok's neck and shoulder.  and he proceeds to paste himself onto his hyung's back as he continues to eye the two strangers.

 

"hyung..." jongin mumbles into minseok's neck.

"oh jongin, you're awake!  good timing, we're just about to eat.  did you meet jongdae's friends?"

 

jongin tosses the strangers (jongdae's friends) another glare as he pouts.

 

"no."

 

minseok shifts in jongin's arms as minseok switches off the stove and turns to face jongin.  there's a small frown on minseok's face.

 

"now, that won't do.  introduce yourself properly okay?" minseok says, stroking jongin's cheek.

 

minseok turns to the two strangers and to the general direction of jongdae, shouting, "kim jongdae!  introduce your friends to jongin!"

but the strangers - there's a tall one and a short one - file into the kitchen, staring with sparkling eyes at jongin as if he were some kind of spectacle at the zoo.

"so you're the youngest kim!" the short one says, looking up at jongin.

jongin tightens his grip on minseok's waist.

"jongdae's always saying 'my little brother can out dance all of you'" the big one says, mimicking jongdae hyung's higher pitched voice.  "is that true?"

jongin steps away, backwards, pulling minseok with him.

"kim jongin..." minseok says in his warning tone.  to jongdae's friends, minseok says, "sorry, jongin is a little shy, but he's a good kid, i promise."

"of course hyung-nim" the shorter stranger simpers.  "we believe you of course."

the taller one nods his head too furiously and jongin notices that both of them look at minseok with twinkling eyes and a stupid looking grin.  something inside of jongin screams, 'danger danger!', so without thinking he hides minseok behind his back.

"oof" minseok says, bumping into the cabinets behind him.  "kim jongin!"

but at the same time, jongin glares even harder, practically growling and says, "who are you?", not even caring that he's being informal with his speech.

 

jongin doesn't notice kyungsoo who is watching from the counter, snickering.  the two strangers (jongdae's friends) pause, surprised and they blink a couple of times in silence before jongdae finally comes into the kitchen.  in the background, 'running man' is on the television and there's some kind of game going on that makes everyone on the program laugh.

"kim jongin, behave will you?  these are my friends" says jongdae like it's no big deal.  "this one is byun baekhyun and this one is park chanyeol.  they're older than you, so have to call them 'hyung' okay?"

jongdae turns to his friends as jongin frowns.  minseok slips away, plating the pork onto a clean plate and making his way to the living room.  jongin feels a little defeated.

"this is kim jongin" jongdae tells his friends.  "my little brother."

the focus, all at once, is shifted from jongin to jongdae.

"haha!" baekhyun teases, pointing a finger at jongdae.  "your little brother is taller than you!"

"wow" chanyeol says, looking back and forth from jongin to jongdae, "you guys don't look alike at all!"

 

something in the air changes and both jongin and jongdae stiffen.  jongin's just glad that minseok isn't in the kitchen anymore.  but chanyeol and baekhyun must have realized it too because they're looking awkward as they look at jongdae searchingly.  kyungsoo, too, looks away, pretending he hasn't heard.

but just then, the front door opens and junmyeon walks in.

"ah, junmyeon-ah, you're home" comes minseok's voice, sounding a little relieved.  

junmyeon raises a big plastic bag in his hand.  "can't have a meat party without more meat and beer!"

everyone laughs at what junmyeon says and somehow, the previous awkward situation is forgotten.  minseok bustles into the kitchen with the plastic bags in hand.  he hands one to jongdae.

"jongdae, can you put the beer cans in the fridge?"

to chanyeol and baekhyun, minseok says, "go sit down with kyungsoo, okay?  the rest of the food will be right out."

"are you sure we can't help, hyung-nim?" chanyeol asks, peering into one of the plastic bags.  "there's a lot of meat."

"i'm really good with a knife!" baekhyun offers, but minseok shakes his head laughing.

"can't have the guests helping in the kitchen" minseok scolds.  "at least, not on the first visit."

jongin scowls and sulks, sitting down at the kitchen table.  watching the two friends leave the kitchen, jongin whispers to jongdae who's still in front of the fridge.

"why'd you bring them here?"

he wants to complain.  he wants to whine.  minseok hyung was supposed to take him shopping for new shoes today.  they were going to go eat lunch and dessert and come back home with a pizza dinner.  but now, their saturday plans are all ruined.

"it's not my fault!" jongdae squeaks.  "but at least we get to eat meat!"

jongdae doesn't seem to pick up on jongin's utter despair, so jongin buries his face in his arms.  he hears the clinking of utensils and junmyeon's voice as he asks each one of jongdae's friends what major they are.  there's the white noise of the television in the background and at one point, jongin hears kyungsoo hyung ask, "is jongin okay?"

"he's fine" comes jongdae's flippant reply.

and jongin wants to shout that he _isn't_  fine.  in fact, he's feeling miserable.  minseok's too busy preparing the food and filling drinks.  jongdae's no help as he's talking spiritedly with his friends.  and junmyeon hyung had going straight to his room, saying he had to finish up some document for his internship. 

 

and he knows that he's being childish.  he knows that this isn't a big deal.  but he feels cheated.  he feels betrayed.  and there's no way to stop the hot heat coming from his eyeballs as he feels moisture pooling at his lower eyelid.

 

just then,

a hand.

 

a warm hand.

 

a comforting hand.

 

minseok's hand strokes jongin's back and jongin can feel minseok leaning in close to his ear.

"jongin-ah, i'm sorry" minseok whispers.  "we'll go tomorrow.  i promise."

the moisture in his eyes recede.  jongin lifts his head from his arms and though he's always tried his best to be more mature, he finds himself always being such a child in front of his minseok hyung.

"what if jongdae hyung's friends come over again?" jongin asks accusingly.  "what if junmyeon hyung's friends come over?"

"even if the president of korea comes over i promise.  tomorrow will be our day, okay?"

minseok grins, massaging jongin's ear affectionately.

"okay" jongin says inevitably and stays still when minseok hugs him, rubbing his chin on the top of jongin's head.

"alright, now wash up and get dressed properly.  i made your favorite seasoned pork."

 

 

there's a reluctant smile as jongin walks back into the hallway, making his way to the bathroom.  behind him, jongin hears snippets of conversation.

 

"where's jongin going?" kyungsoo asks.

"washing up" minseok answers.

"is he okay?" chanyeol asks tentatively.

"he's gonna be" minseok says.  "he's just isn't a morning person."

"hyung, it's the afternoon now" jongdae deadpans.  "stop making excuses for him.  he's just acting spoiled."

and jongin can hear minseok's tinkling laugh.

"i spoil you too, you know" minseok tells jongdae.  

and even though jongin can't see, he knows jongdae is flushed red because minseok hyung is being mushy in front of his friends.

"ah hyung~!" comes jongdae's voice.

he hears everyone laughing.

"spoil me too hyung!" baekhyun shouts as jongin closes the bathroom door behind him.

this makes jongin concentrate on washing up as fast as he can.  he has to go outside quickly and protect minseok hyung from those hyenas. he has to be on his guard.

he takes a quick shower and styles his hair with wax.  he finds his favorite skinny jeans - the ones that make his legs look extra long and menacing - and pulls them on under an oversized sweater that makes his shoulders look wider.

he takes a look in the mirror and nods, satisfied with himself.

he looks older and more built.  those newcomers can't look down on him now.

 

 

when he steps outside with feigned cool and pomp, minseok is showing everyone his baby pictures.

chanyeol squeals. 

"oh my god! jongin is naked in this one!" shouts baekhyun.

 

jongin wants to disappear.

 


	6. 8:23 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> minseok and jongin go shopping: part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lapslock
> 
> also i have no knowledge about mens shoes, so please don't read too deeply into that part. (haha ^^;;)

jongin's eyelids are still swollen, but he's awake.  that's the important thing.  he's already picked out his outfit last night, so that's not a problem.  the problem is getting the clothes on.  they're not difficult pieces of clothing - one forest green pull over and black skinny jeans, complete with a black beanie and sneakers.

stumbling into the hallway, he knows minseok is already up from the sweeping sounds coming from the living room.  on a sunday, everyone's used to sleeping in, even minseok.  so right now, at almost eight thirty in the morning, it's a miracle that jongin's standing upright like this.  really, it's the power of minseok's promise to give the whole day to jongin that has jongin up so darn early in the morning.

"hyung" jongin calls out, standing next to the front door.

minseok has a thin brown argyle sweater on over some gray slacks.  jongin spies a matching gray blazer lying over the edge of a kitchen chair and vaguely, jongin wonders if he should have worn something more grown-up.

"let's go" jongin says impatiently.  he's already stamping on his sneakers in front of the door and watches with a little smile as minseok rushes to put the broom and pan away.

minseok grabs his jacket, shoulders it, and makes his way to the shoe closet.  he picks out a pair of birkenstocks and jongin raises a brow.  minseok shrugs.

"they're comfortable" explains minseok, making jongin laugh.

 

 

they make their way to the coffee shop not far from their apartment complex.  minseok gets a hot cafe au lait because they still haven't eaten yet while jongin gets a hot lemon green tea.  the morning air is still a bit chilly and the hot drinks feel good in their hands.

"do you want to grab something to eat around here?" minseok asks, sipping on his coffee.

jongin shakes his head, fitting a lid to his to-go cup.

"no" he tells minseok, waiting for his tea to cool down.  "let's go out into the city first."

 

 

jongin feels giddy.  it's been ages since it was just minseok hyung and him, out on the town.  and he knows it may sound silly, but his eldest hyung has been feeling a bit out of reach for jongin.  junmyeon is closest in age with minseok, so they share their hardships and jongin knows they secretly have a few drinks when they think both jongdae and him are sleeping.  jongdae is at the same college as minseok has attended, so they often talk about school related things and go to college soccer games together.  and while jongin knows that all his hyungs love him, he can't help but feel a little left out at times.

as they reach the main street, jongin starts sipping his tea.  it's medium warm now and jongin can tolerate the temperature through the plastic lid without being afraid of burning his tongue.  meanwhile, minseok is already throwing his coffee cup away, finished with his caffeine boost.  minseok's also on his phone, searching for a breakfast place with good ratings.  it makes jongin giggle into his fist.  because, that was minseok hyung for you.

"hyung" jongin says, tugging on minseok's arm.  "later, let's try that really spicy ddukbokki.  you know, the one that's popular nowadays?"

"hmmm?"

minseok's still immersed in his phone.

"hyung, i can't believe my shoes have already worn out, right?  look, you can almost see my feet!"

jongin lifts his foot up to minseok's waist level.  minseok glances down and balks.  there's a hole on top, where jongin's big toe is situated. 

"you!  you're not wearing socks again!"

jongin laughs, throwing his head back and clutching his belly.

"it's too late!  you can't make me!"

running down the street, jongin glances behind him.  there aren't many people out yet and jongin feels an overwhelming happiness when he sees minseok chasing him with a grin.

they stop, out of breath, next to some kind of bakery cafe.  jongin's never been here before, but he points to the sign out front.

[special of the day:  
breakfast cheese bread for two.   
comes with two lemonades.]

"let's have that, hyung" jongin suggests.

minseok, cheeks pink from running, nods.

"okay."

 

 

even though minseok doesn't check the reviews of the place, the breakfast cheese bread turns out to be delicious.  fighting over the bacon bits, they talk about jongin's school and his dance lessons.  jongin complains about how he doesn't really like the tap classes and minseok tells jongin about a particularly difficult client he's just accepted.

"but it's still something you decided to do, right?" jongin asks.  "even if the client is difficult, you must have accepted him because it's something you're interested in."

minseok nods thoughtfully.  "you're right.  they want me to design the packaging for a multi-piece microphone set.  the catch is that is has to be biodegradable and use the least amount of material as possible."

"a challenge, huh?"

"yep.  just like your tap classes, no?"

minseok smiles mischieviously while jongin cringes.

"hyung~" he whines.

"oh no, kim jongin" minseok says in mock-horror.  "you're learning bad things from jongdae!"

they double over in laughter over their almost empty plates, taking turns mimicking the characteristic tone of jongdae's voice.  they agree that minseok's impression has almost the right pitch, but that jongin nails jongdae's whiny inflexion.  

after they finish up, they bow to the owner of the cafe, telling him how great their meal was.  the owner thanks them and gives them each a mini sugar cookie as a thank you gift.  jongin pops his cookie into his mouth.  it's so delicious and he almost wishes they'd bought some for the road.

he turns to tell minseok as much, when minseok hands jongin his cookie.  jongin looks down at minseok, confused.

"hyung?"

"you looked like you were enjoying yours" minseok laughs.  "have mine."

"really?" jongin grins.  "really, hyung?"

minseok nods.  "i don't really like sweets in the first place."

 

 

 

by the time they flag down a taxi and arrive at myeongdong, it's a little past eleven am.  jongin rocks on his feet as minseok pays the taxi driver.  there's the familiar smell of greasy street foods and the faint scent of lingering smoke from the cigarette canister.  looking up at the tall building in front of him, jongin feels the sleepiness he'd felt after breakfast fading.  it's not everyday they go to a department store.

they enter the shindaegae department store, going from level to level.  even though they're shopping for jongin's shoes, they have a great time just talking and looking around at the shiny things.  they finally reach the mens' shoes department and jongin looks around in excitement.

there are the black and red trim asics he'd seen online, so jongin tries them on.  he also spies the all-white adidas running shoes that one of his friends had bought last week, so he tries those on in his size too.  he tries on a total of four different brands of shoes before he looks at the price tag for one of them.  jongin freezes.

the shoes are outrageously expensive - at least, on jongin's terms - and even though their family isn't too bad off, jongin doesn't want to spend his hyung's hard earned money.  he carefully sets the shoes down, smiling apologetically to the employee before saying, "sorry, we'll be back after looking around."

jongin tugs on minseok's arm, pulling them out of the store.

"what's wrong?" minseok asks, confused, as he's dragged down the street.  "i thought you liked those."

jongin shakes his head, eyes downcast.  

"let's go somewhere else."

 

 

they go to lotte plaza next and while minseok does his best to try and interest jongin in shoe after shoe, jongin just glances away and shakes his head.  they're walking out of the lotte plaza when jongin speaks up.

"maybe i can wear these for a few more months" he mumbles, examining his sneakers as he walks.  "they're not even that old."

minseok frowns.  the canvas is threadbare and the rubber soles are cracked on the sides.  the laces, though washed and cleaned, have taken on a pronounced grayish hue.

"jongin-ah, is there something you're not telling me?"

minseok pulls jongin to sit on a bus stop bench.  hands on his hips, minseok puts on a menacing (or so he thinks) look.  jongin looks up with puppy dog eyes, acting innocent.

"kim jongin."

"i just.."

"yes?"

"the shoes are just really expensive and so are dance lessons and everything else, so it's okay..."

jongin's voice gets smaller with every word, but minseok somehow manages to catch everything jongin says.

jongin hangs his head, ears and eyeballs burning with heat.  he's not going to cry, jongin tells himself.  he's _eighteen_ already, so he's not going to cry in the middle of the street, much less in front of his hyung.

minseok stays still for a moment, staring at the top of jongin's head.  it's been a while since he's seen his youngest brother from his point of view.  minseok suddenly has a flashback of when he'd first met jongin as a child.  with a sigh, minseok lightly lays a hand on jongin's head.

"jongin-ah" minseok says softly.  "are you worried about the money?"

jongin's head nods almost imperceptibly.

"jongin-ah, you don't need to worry about that kind of thing.  who told you to?  if hyung wasn't able to afford it, i wouldn't have even suggested it."

"..." jongin doesn't look up.

"don't worry" minseok says light-heartedly.  "this hyung is a lot more loaded than you think."

jongin squeezes his eyes shut tight for a second.  then, he looks up.  minseok hyung is small; his nose is small, his hands are small, and his teeth are small small small.  he doesn't remember when he had surpassed minseok in height, but one day, jongin had had to look down on his eldest hyung.  even though, physically, minseok is smaller than jongin, jongin has always felt like his hyung was so so big.

"promise?" jongin asks, intertwining his hand in his hyung's.

"hmm?"

"promise i'm not causing you problems?"

minseok chuckles.

"only in the mornings when i try to wake you up" minseok jokes.

it manages to draw a small smile out of jongin.  so, minseok tugs on jongin's hand, hoisting him up from the bench.

"come on now" minseok tells jongin.  "we have some serious shopping to do."


	7. 7:21 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> minseok and jongin go shopping: part 2

three shopping bags swing from minseok's hands as he walks home with jongin.  they're aiming to catch the subway because jongin wants to walk for a bit.  in jongin's hand is the shopping bag that holds the shoes.  

minseok had tried to insist on carrying all the bags, but jongin had held on to the shoes.  minseok could see that it wasn't one hundred percent because jongin was trying to lessen minseok's load.  part of the reason minseok had acquiesced was because minseok could see how much the shoes were prized, reflected in jongin's eyes.  there's a satisfied smile playing on minseok's lips as they join the bustle of people walking down the stairs to the subway station.  one of jongin's hands hang on to minseok's arm because there are a lot of people entering this station and he doesn't want to get separated; it's an old habit from since they were young.

they walk a bit because the subway line to get home isn't quite close to this station.  they pass little shops situated underground at the connection between stations and they have fun commenting and laughing at the items as they window shop.  they pass a commonplace accessory shop and the outside displays are filled with little cellphone accessories.  jongin slows then stops at a particular rotating display and gestures at minseok.  when minseok takes a look, jongin's pointing to a tiny squirrel figurine on a thread.

"hyung, this looks like you."

"you little... are you making fun of your hyung?"

jongin's eyes crinkle in that special way as he shakes his head.

"no, i'm serious!  this looks exactly like you."

minseok spies a sleepy looking black leopard figurine and takes it off the hook.

"and this one looks like you, kim jongin" minseok laughs.

jongin squints at it for a few seconds before grabbing it from minseok's fingers.  before minseok can stop him, jongin's entering the shop and paying for the two accessories.

"here, hyung" jongin tells minseok as he grabs minseok's phone.  "the sleepy cat is for you.  to remind you of me.  and the chubby cheeked squirrel is for me.  because it reminds me of hyung."

minseok snorts, but looks on fondly as jongin laces the accessory to minseok's phone.  it's not really minseok's style to hang anything on there because he doesn't really like things getting in the way.  but jongin looks proud as he makes a big deal out of buying it with his allowance.

"this is my gift to you, so you can't give it to anyone okay?  not even the other hyungs.  promise?"

minseok laughs because jongin is so adorable, before saying, "promise."

 

 

 

going on the subway, jongin picks the first car to sit in.

"so we can walk a bit more" jongin explains.

and it's nice because not many people are in the first car, so there's plenty of space to sit.  jongin guides minseok to a seat in the corner and sits right next to his hyung.  they have a few stations to go, so jongin slumps in the seat, getting comfortable.  he swings a leg over minseok's and though it's much heavier than when jongin was young, minseok is used to it now - another habit from when jongin was little.  even in the subway, jongin's able to nod off, but minseok's soon poking him awake as they near their stop.

"come on, jongin.  time to get off."

and jongin rubs his eyes, waddling off the subway train after minseok.  unconsciously, jongin clings to the back of minseok's sweater because his eyes are still half heavy with sleep.  minseok takes jongin's hands as they climb the stairs, not wanting jongin to trip.  

as they near the top, minseok's already looking around.  there's a pizza store somewhere near the station.  and though minseok doesn't frequent the place, he knows that his brothers enjoy the pizza there.  he finally finds it as jongin completely wakes.  it's only a few hundred feet from the station.  minseok enters the establishment with jongin, now arm in arm.  as soon as they step inside, minseok's busy searching for the menu but at his side, jongin goes, "hup!" in surprise.

 

 

+++

 

 

jongin's bleary eyes barely registers where minseok is headed.  they've had a long and fun day and jongin's had a half dream half fantasy about dragging minseok into a cheap clothing store to get matching hoodies to commemorate their day.  but once they step inside, something is all too familiar.  the fluorescent lights, the smell of sweet potatoes and pizza sauce, and not to mention the familiarly bored sounding greeting of, "welcome to chicky chick pizza" come crashing into jongin for a sensory overload.  and there, at the counter, wearing the standard red apron and visor bearing the chicky chick pizza logo, is none other than his friend oh sehun.

he stops himself before he can blurt out "hey!" too loudly in front of his hyung in a public place.  so what comes out is an awkward "hup!"  the outburst only makes minseok look at him curiously and sehun stare at him in wonder.

but of course, minseok isn't an idiot.  his hyung obviously sees jongin staring at oh sehun, so minseok makes the connection, chuckling.

"isn't that your friend?" minseok asks.  "what was his name again....kim sehyung?  lee taehun?"

"...h...n..." jongin mumbles, looking down at the floor.

"hmm?"

"hello" comes a voice and minseok looks up to see a pale pizza store worker, taller than jongin, staring down at him.  "my name is oh sehun.  it's been a long time, minseok hyung."

 

 

 

dashed hopes of extending their day weigh jongin down as they come back home.  in minseok's arms are three boxes of pizzas they'd ordered at chicky chick pizza.   the store, being famous for making fresh pizzas hot from the oven, had been the one place where jongin would have liked to avoid.  not only did they meet oh sehun, whom jongin had successfully prevented from visiting his home or meeting his hyungs since elementary school, but they had also had about thirty minutes of down time waiting for the pizzas to get ready.

"oh don't worry, hyung" sehun had said with smiling eyes.  "i'll use my employee discount for you.  not for jongin but for _you,_ minseok hyung."

jongin had been horrified to see minseok smiling back, preening with obvious pleasure.  

"that's so sweet of you, sehun-ah.  next time, this hyung will treat you okay?  you can come visit our home any time."

and when minseok's looking down at his wallet, jongin hadn't missed the smirk of victory that sehun had tossed in his direction.  jongin had swallowed a groan, trying not to be bratty in front of his hyung.  and by the time they had left the pizza store, oh sehun not only had had a full conversation with minseok (while jongin had went to the restroom) as well as a dinner invite to their house, but oh sehun had managed to get minseok hyung's phone number.

 

"gonna delete it from his phone when i get to school" jongin mumbles under his breath as he's helping minseok set the table.

"hmm? what'd you say jongin-ah?"

"nothing" jongin returns quickly.

he doesn't want another reason for minseok hyung to think of oh sehun.

 

 

 

 

junmyeon comes home late after jongdae and jongin polish off most of the pizzas.  as was the natural order of a weekend dinner, jongin migrates to the living room to watch television with jongdae, when junmyeon comes in, tired from a day of studying at the library.

 

"there's pizza" minseok says, having just finished washing the plates, turning to junmyeon.

junmyeon hesitates before, "nah, it's late, i don't want to be bloated the next day."

minseok frowns.  "but dinner..."

"pizza late at night will make me fat" junmyeon adds as he takes off his suit jacket.

"ah, hyung! just eat it! minseok bought it especially for us!" calls jongdae from the living room.

"you don't know what we went through to get those" jongin tacks on, darkly.

"what are you guys watching?" junmyeon asks, ignoring their comments. 

"but you have to eat, right?" minseok presses.

"let me get changed first" junmyeon replies, disappearing into his room.

 

minseok lightly reheats a few slices of pizza, regardless of junmyeon's rejection, and sets a place at the table.  when junmyeon comes out, he smiles awkwardly and scratches the back of his head.

"i don't know if i should..." junmyeon starts saying, but minseok cuts him off.

"don't worry.  i've got just the thing."  minseok puts a finger up, indicating junmyeon should wait a second.

from the fridge, minseok pulls out a shiny green bottle with a sly smile and junmyeon throws his head back to laugh.

"of course with pizza, it's..."

"soju!" junmyeon finishes.

and without another word, junmyeon takes a seat at the table.  jongin clicks his tongue in disapproval while jongdae rushes to the table to ask for some alcohol as well.  but jongdae is firmly denied as minseok says, "nope.  it's hyung time.  the little ones should go to bed now."

 

 

 

 

jongin's day ends with being ushered off to bed.  jongdae hyun whines the whole way to his room, but jongin complies quietly.  jongin doesn't exactly like the fact that minseok and junmyeon are drinking soju together alone because who knows how much they'll end up drinking and for how long!?  but he decides not to make a big fuss tonight.  he revels in the memories of a day well spent with his hyung and quietly strokes the little squirrel doll that he'd purchased to remind himself of minseok hyung. 

 

just before jongin falls asleep, his phone beeps.

 

[oh sehun:  
just messaged minseok-ee hyung on   
kakao talk.  
i'm invited to come over next week.  
ha!]

 

 

 

 

that night, jongin dreams of smashing sehun's phone to smithereens.  

 


End file.
